Watsommanat Sub District

POSTCODE: 10100

Wat Sommanat is one of the five sub-districts that make up the district of Pom Prap Sattru Phai. It is triangular in shape with one of its sides bordering a canal. It is nearly perfectly bisected by Nakhon Sawan Road which crosses the canal at Thewakam Rangrat Bridge.

One of the distinguishing features of the sub-district is the temple Wat Sommanat or also called Wat Sommanat Wihan or Wat Sommanat Ratchawora Wihan. King Rama IV had the temple built in 1853. The art inside the building is from the Rattanakosin period. Inside are beautiful murals and there are two pagodas in the area. The larger pagoda contains Buddha's relics and is covered in gold. The temple is open to visitors everyday from 6:00 am to 6:00pm.

Nearby is Wat Sommanat School. They made news in 2013 as their students were the beneficiaries of a helmet drive. Back then, most of the students commuted to school by motorbike but without wearing helmets. Vespiario Thailand and the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation donated 360 helmets to the teachers and students of the school.

As Wat Sommanat is near central Bangkok, there are several fine places to stay near Wat Sommanat. In fact there are well over 200 hotels and other types of accommodation within one mile. The closest might be the Nanda Heritage Hotel which is just 150 metres away. It offers a swimming pool, a restaurant and a bar. Breakfast is included and you can order room service. Options range all he way to 5 star hotels with an average hotel costing around 1,500 THB per night.